The present disclosure generally relates to vehicle lamp assemblies, and more particularly relates to an improved vehicle lamp assembly having a heat sink thermally coupled to a light source, such as a light emitting diode (LED), for dissipating generated heat therefrom. In at least one embodiment, the heat sink receives an airflow from an air guide having an inlet formed in a forward bumper portion of a vehicle in which the improved vehicle lamp assembly is provided.
Vehicle lamp assemblies employing one or more LEDs as the light source for providing illumination are known to generate heat typically in excess of heat generated from more conventional light sources (e.g., incandescent bulbs). Heat removal is a particular concern in LED lamp assemblies because accumulated heat can degrade the performance of LEDs. In particular, light output from a LED typically decreases as the temperature of the LED increases so care must be taken to avoid allowing heat to accumulate around an LED and raise the temperature to a level that causes the light output or illumination from the LED to drop below an acceptable amount. In addition to performance degradation, excess heat around a LED can even lead to ultimate failure of the LED.
Vehicle lamp assemblies, including LED lamp assemblies, sometimes include heat sinks for purposes of removing heat generated by the light source. For example, a heat sink can be thermally coupled to the light source (e.g., one or more LEDs) for dissipating generated heat therefrom. Such heat sinks often include a plurality of fins for increasing the amount of heat that can be dissipated by the heat sink.